Magneto-electric railway-signal



l (No Model.)

Wl Wl MAGNETO ELECTRIC' RALWAY SIGNAL.

lNo. 266,027L Paiteted 0013.17, 1882.

- UNITED vSTATES PATENT @Ferca WESLEY W. GARY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IVIGNETO-ELEQTRIC RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 266,027, dated October17, 1882.

Application filed J une 1, 1881.

1'0 all whom Iit may concern:

Be it known that I, WESLEY WARD GARY, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State ot' Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvementsin Magneto-Electric 'Switch-Signals, of which the following is aspecilication.

The object ot" my invention is to produce a simple switch-signalingsystem which maybe operated without batteriesfor the purpose ofindicating to those in charge of moving trains, and'others, whether adistant switch is open or closed.

Hitherto electric signals of many kinds have been constructed for thepurpose of indicating the position of railway-switches; but, so far as Iam aware, all electric switch-signals hitherto devised have involved theuse of a battery and of delicate and expensive instruments, wherebythesignals were rendered uncertain in their action and a constant care andsupervision rena magneto-generator adapted and arranged to be operatedby passing trains, mounted in circuit withan electric signal, and with acircuitcontrolling device connected with a switch-operating' mechanismin such manner that the circuit will open and close by the act ot'opening and closing the switch. The movement ot' the train past thegenerator causes the latter to develop a powerful current ot'electricity which acts upon and operates the signal, the latter assumingone or another position, according to the position of thecircuit-closing device, which is determined by the position of theswitch.

In carrying out my invention I prefer to make use of a signal whichstands normally in aposition indicating danger, and to mount this signalon a circuit which embraces the magnetomachine operated by the train andthe circuitcontrolling device operated by the switch. Un-

der this arrangement the circuit remains in a closed condition wheneverthe switch is closed and the main track unbroken; but at the same timethe signal stands normally in a position indicating danger. When theparts are in this position a train approaching the switch will, whilestill distant therefrom, actuate the generator, from which the currentwill Abe trans- (No model.)

mitted through the circuit to the signaling-instrument, causing saidinstrument to move from the position indicating danger to thatindicating safety, thus informing the engineer visually or audibly, orboth, that the switch is closed. lf, however, the switch is opened, itwill effect the bneaking ot' the circuit, andthe result will be thatalthough the approaching train may operate the magneto-generator, asbefore, the break in the circuit will prevent the current from operatingthe signal, which will consequently remain in its normal position,indicating danger, informing the engineer' that the still distant switchis in` an open position. This system is peculiarly advantageous,in thatit serves not only to show when the switch is opened or when it isclosed, but also in that it warns the engineer or other observery in theevent of any break which may be caused accidentally or maliciously inthe circuit. my system it is impossible for the switch to remain open orthe line to remain broken withouta warningto the engineer or otherobserver.

iIn this connection the arrangement of the signal to stand normally in aposition indicating danger, instead ot' compelling it to be moved by thecurrent to such position, as usual in railnav-signals, is a feature ofgreat importance.

The accompanying drawing represents my invention embodied in one ofthevarious i'orins ot' which it is susceptible.

A represents the main track or railway; B, the siding or switch-track;and C, the movable switch-rails or switch proper, these rails beingconnected, as usual, by rod a. to an upright crank-shaft, C', providedwith a handlever, a half-rotation ot the shaft by means of thehand-lever serving to open or close the switch, as usual.

D D represent the main-ci rcuit wires, extending beside therailway-track trom the switchoperating mechanism to a point at anydesired distance therefrom, and connected with the signal-instrumentFand themagneto-generator G, ordinarily near each other, but at adistance from the switch. i

E represents the circuit-closing instruments, mounted in the maincircuit in such position that they will be acted upon and forcedtogether to close the circuit by means of the roo Under switch-operatingcrank-shaft C', the arrangement being such that the circuit will beclosed and will remain closed While the switch is closed, but will beopened and permitted to remain open whenever 'the switch is open.

The signal in the present instance consists of an upright vibratingY armoperating by means of an electro-magnet at the lower end, and arrangedto present different-colored glasses in front of a lantern as it ismoved to and fro.

Referring' to the drawing, I) represents an upright post supporting alamp, e.

d represents the upright vibratory arm, the upper end of which isprovided with dii'erentcolored glasses e, one or the other of which willbe presented in front of the light, according to the position in whichthe arm stands. At its lower end the arm d is provided with theelectro-magnet f, mounted in the main circuit D. This electro-magnet isarranged in coils,and serves as an armature to a permanent magnet, g,the poles of which are reversed in relation to those of theelectro-magnet. A spiral spring, h, connected with the lever d, servesto draw the electro-magnet away from the permanent magnet and to hold itin that position during the time that thereis no currentiiowingthroughthe circuit.v /Vhile the arm is in this position, which is its normalposition, the signal at the upper end is in the position indicatingdanger. Whenever a current passes through the main circuit D theelectro-magnet j is excited and is attracted toward the permanent magnetg, thereby moving the lever d and causing the signal to leave theposition indicating danger and resume a position indicating safety.

Passing next to the magneto-electric generatorG, it will be seen toconsist in the present instance ot' a permanent magnet, i, and of anelectro-magnet or induction coil,j, the latter mounted in the maincircuit and arranged to vibrate or reciprocate in relation to thepermanentmagnet. Theelectro-magnetismounted upon a horizontally-swingingarm, and is connected by means of an upright arm, k, on one end ofahoriziontal rock-shaft, H, the opposite end of which carries an arm ortrcadle, l, arranged by the side ofthe railway-track in position to bedepressed by the wheels of the passing cars.

The operation is as follows: rlhe switch being open, as represented inthe drawing, the circuit-breaking device E is released from theswitch-operating crank-shaft and the circuit remains open. If,now,atrain approaches the switch while still distant therefrom, it acts uponthe lever l and causes the operation of the magneto-generator G,producing an electric current; but as the circuit is broken this currentwill have no effect, and the signal will remain in its normal'position,indicating danger, thus warning the engineer that the switch stands inan open position, or that the circuit has been otherwise broken, ineither of which cases he will immediately arrest the motion of thetrain. 1f, however, the switch bc closed,

the switch-operating crank-shaft C will' hold the circuit-closingdeviceE in'aelosed position, maintaining the continuity of the circuit.A ti ain approaching the switch whilethe parts are in this conditionwill operate the magnetogenerator, as before, and transmit an electriccurrent through the circuit to the signal-instrument F, where the effectof the current will be to excite the electro-magnet and cause the sameto operate the lever d and move the signal from a position indicatingdanger to that indicating safety, thus informing the engineer that theswitch is in a closed position, and also that the signal is in anoperative condition.

lt will ofcourse he understood thatin order to have the signal remain inthe position indicating safety the generator will be provided with anordinary commutator or currentstraightener;7 whereby the current isgiven an unchanging polarity to hold the signal in position. Theapparatus may be operated without the commutator; but as there would bea repeated vibration of the signal arm or lever the use of thecommutator' is preferred.

shortly after, the electric current will cease and the signal will atonce resume its normal position, indicating danger. Vhile the vibratorygenerator, as represented in the drawing, answers a good purpose, it ispreferred to make use, in ordinary cases, of a rotary magneto-generatorconstructed in any ofthe ordinary known forms, and provided preferablywith a commutator. y

The rotary generator may receive motion through any suitable devicearranged to be actuated by passing trains. The device representedinLetters Patent Nos. 240,694, 240,695, and 240,696, or that representedin my application ot' April 2l, 1881, or either of them, answer a goodpurpose in this connection.

In place of the signal represented in the drawing, any other suitableelectro-magnetic signal, either audible or visual, may be used.

In place of the switch-operating crank and the fingers for effecting theopening and closing of the circuit, any other suitable devices having asimilar mode of operation may he used,the only essential requirementbeing that the opening and closing of the ,switch shall effect thecorresponding opening and closing of the circuit.

By the expression open7 switch, as herein employed, is meant thatadjustment ot' the switch in which the switch-rails are set to thesiding or switch-track, and b v the expression closed77 switch is meantthat adjustment of the same under which the switch-rails are set to themain line, the expressions opened and closed7 being used in the senseinwhich they are commonly employed in the art. The expressionmagneto-electric generator,77 as herein employed, is intended to includeany and all of the numerous machines known in the art wherein a currentof electricity is devel- As soon as the train has passed the generator,or

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oped by the movement of an armature in the ield of a magnet, or viceversa,sncl1 machines being known alsoby the various namesotelec tricalgenerators and dynamo-machines.

Having thus described my invention, what claim is- 1. In a switch-signalfor railways, the combination of the following elements: themagneto-generator and appliances for operating the same from passingrailway-trains, a magneto-electric signal, electric conductorsconnecting said signal and generator, and a circuit openingand closingdevice connected with and operated by a switch mechanism, substan`tially as described and shown.

2. In an automatic switchsignal, the combination of the magneto-electricgenerator and appliances for operating the same from passingrailway-trains, the magneto-electric signal arranged to stand normally7in a position indicating danger, electric conductors connecting saidsignal and generator, and circuit-closing VESLEY TARD GARY.

Witnesses:

Rona?. L. MILLER, PHiLIP T. DODGE.

